Warren Hinckle, the pugnacious

Hinckle

San Francisco columnist and author, died Thursday (Aug. 25) at age 77.

The Examiner’s obit said, “Recognized in part for the unmistakable eye patch that he wore following a childhood accident and his beloved basset hound Bentley that accompanied Hinckle everywhere from assignments to the newsroom to bars, Hinckle dipped his pen into San Francisco politics for decades, writing memorable columns for numerous publications including the San Francisco Examiner.”

The Chronicle said in its obit: “One of the milestone moments for Mr. Hinckle came when he assigned Hunter S. Thompson to cover the Kentucky Derby in 1970 for Scanlan’s Monthly. The resultant rollicking article, ‘The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved,’ not only launched the over-the-top, personalized journalism that came to be known as gonzo, it began a lifelong friendship between Mr. Hinckle and Thompson.
Mr. Hinckle’s final book, ‘Who Killed Hunter S. Thompson?’ is expected to be published this year. He began writing it in 2005 and was making changes to the manuscript until near his death.”